Of Corsages and Bowties
by Carmz C
Summary: Mei noticed that there have been a lot of boys vying for Maria's attention. Too bad their object of affection was too dense to notice. Mei intends to fix that with the up-coming prom. With her as this year's Prom committee chairman, God knows what's in store for Maria's admirers! [Various Pairings and Hints of Yaoi].
1. Prologue

**Of Corsages and Bowties**

**A Hetalia Prom Story **

* * *

**Prologue**

World Academy was a large, internationally acclaimed school where one student from every country in the world must represent their country into this prestigious institute. Basically, it's a large school with VERY little students. They didn't even reach two hundred. It was nestled in an unspecified area where the school is surrounded by tall trees and vast masses of land.

It's that' time of the year once again. With Valentine's day coming up, World Academy was decked out to the nines. Even with the slight snow within the surrounding areas, the castle-like structure of the large Academy was decorated with Valentines Day Decor of hearts and flowers, a drawing of Cupid plastered against the wood-paneled rooms and corridors and a statue of Aphrodite, courtesy of Heracles Karpusi, in the garden of statues. It was only February the first but it felt like it was Valentine's day already.

The smell of roses, jasmine, Gardenias, freesias and several other fragrant flowers hung in the air and though it was the romantic time of the month, a certain awkwardness hung in the air. It was the time which everyone fears. Well, what most of the boys feared. Two weeks from now was going to be the nightmare for all guys and the dream come true for all girls: PROM.

That's right. Prom. A celebration where boys and girls dress up in their best suits and dresses, drink punch, dance like_ fucking_ ninnies in front of others, and quite possibly have the biggest last minute fling of your life. Basically, it's a life-chancing event where most of everything happens.

The school is rather strict when it comes to the sectors. Sectors is another term used to say which of the 7 Continents you belong to. There's the European Sector, the North American Sector, The Asian Sector and etc. Our story starts here, February the first, in a 10:30 to 11:30 class...

Somewhere in the Asian Sector of the academy, Maria Clara dela Cruz shifted her leg underneath the table, not minding that her purple plaid skirt was riding up her black-stocking covered thighs. She was focusing too much on their current subject in Quantum Physics. Mei Wang, Maria's best friend, nudged her from underneath the desk, causing Maria to flinch and glare at Mei.

"I don't know if you're doing it on purpose but you're literally giving fan-service right now." whispered Mei with a giggle. Mei indicated Maria's skirt with her forefinger. Maria flushed then quickly adjusted her skirt. Mei giggled. Kaoru, Mei's brother, looked over his shoulder to shush them both.

"Mr. Kaoru, are you listening to me?" asked the teacher menacingly. Maria looked at Kaoru apologetically but Kaoru didn't seem to notice. He was too busy looking at the teacher as if he was some piece of trash. His deadpan stare was boring into the teacher's own eyes, an unsettling chill hung in the air as the seconds ticked by. The teacher gave up, dismissing the class in a defeated tone of voice before slumping down his chair in a dead faint.

The class dispersed and set out for the courtyard, which was easily the largest garden area in the school, with a huge fountain as the centerpiece of the garden, courtesy of Feliciano Vargas, the happy-go-lucky son of a mafia boss from Italy. The Courtyard area was at the very center of the school. This is where most representatives meet each other.

As they sat down on a cold patch of grass with Kaoru leaning against the tree they were under, they noticed the many different kinds of proposals towards the seniors towards the juniors. The Prom was an event where Seniors were to ask their Juniors as their dates for the night of February 14. Although it's not really a requirement to have a junior partner, it is more encouraged by the school as to make bonds with the younger students is highly important to them.

Maria and Mei squealed along with the rest of the girls who witnessed Roderich Edelstein, kneeling down on one knee in front of Elizabeta Héderváry, and asking her to prom with ring box in one hand and flowers in the other. The two seniors of the European Sector were known to be the "Practically Married" Couple. Elizabeta nodded as Roderich slipped on the gold ring and showed her the matching pair on his own ring finger. They could have been officially married if there was only a priest.

Cue the awes from the crowd and they left the courtyard, hands clasped and fingers intertwined with each other. Some where now actually showing more guts after witnessing, by far, the most embarrassing yet most romantic way to ask the girls to be their prom dates. Lovino Vargas, in his tsundere-glory, asked Bella from Belgium in his usual loud manner which earned a giggle and a yes.

"I heard Feliciano Vargas, Lovino's younger twin brother, was said to be going with the Disciplinary Chairman, Ludwig Beilschmidt." said Kaoru in his usual deadpan manner.

"That was, by far, the best proposal this day!" said Mei with a giggle, who didn't seem to hear what her brother had just said.

"I know, right?!" exclaimed Maria excitedly, also oblivious to Kaoru's blunt statement. Somewhere in the campus grounds, Ludwig sneezed. He brush it off, thinking it was from patrolling the school without a scarf (as he had given it to Feliciano) and not because someone was talking about him...

"Who will you go with, Mei?" asked Maria.

"I'll go with Kaoru!" said Mei cheerfully. Kaoru snorted.

"But, he's your brother..."

"So? Lili and Basch are going with each other."

Lili Zwingli and Basch Zwingli were brother and sister but they hail from two different countries. Lili came from Liechtenstein while Basch came from Switzerland. Rumor has it that Lili was only adopted but it was only a hush-hush manner as Basch would overreact if anyone talked bad about his little sister. If only they weren't siblings, they could be as romantic as Roderich and Elizabeta were as a couple.

"And who would ask him?" muttered Mei under her breath. Maria giggled then caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair, fair skin and distinguishable thick eyebrows that could only belong to,

"President Arthur!" exclaimed Maria with a gracious smile, making the acknowledged person whirl his head around to see who had called him. His cheeks flushed pink as Maria was walking towards him, her skirt swaying with her graceful movements and her hair swaying with the passing wind. He noticed that she had her usual crown of white _sampaguita_ flowers on her head again.

"G-Good morning, Miss Maria." said Arthur, straightening his tie, although it was not crooked. "Lovely as ever, I see."

"Thank you." she said, smiling kindly. "Are you headed off to lunch?"

"N-No, I need to get back to my office. There are preparations need to be done for the Prom and-"

"There you are again!" she exclaimed, pouting childishly. "You always work whenever I see you and here I was, wanting to invite you to lunch..."

_Lunch? With Maria? Alone?_ Arthur's mind seemed to be on overdrive.

"And why, if I may ask, would you extend such a gesture?" he asked.

"Because I want to." she said. "And... I wanted to be formally friends with you..."

"What was that?" he asked, though he was certain he had heard her the first time.

"Well, we know each other by name but we aren't formally friends." she said.

Arthur gave it some thought for a while. Yes, they knew each other by name, greet each other when they met but they never really sat down and came to know one another. But there was the thought of the stack of paperwork waiting for him in his office that needed to be confirmed, signed and etc. that he didn't have time to be mingling around.

Even with his crush. _Ugh. Curse his hormones. _

"I'm sorry, Miss Maria, but I simply cannot." he said flatly. But when he saw the slightly hurt expression on Maria's sweet, innocent face, he cursed himself and mentally kicked his own arse.

"B-But I suppose a break from the paperwork would be good." he said finally. When he looked at Maria again, you can almost see the pink background, white flowers and sparkles surrounding her with the happy expression on her face.

* * *

He regretted it. He completely regretted it. But his face didn't show it. There he was in the European Sector's Large banquet hall with Maria and her two friends, Mei and Kaoru Wang, when the uninvited guests started showing up one by one. What irked him the most was that Maria knew all these people, hence, she didn't mind them sitting with them at all.

First pain in the ass-Alfred Jones, a.k.a. The "I'm the Hero" guy from the Northern America Sector. He knew Alfred Jones like the back of his hand as he was his kid brother years back until he rebelled and emancipated himself from him. It broke his heart for Alfred to do something like that after all the care he had given him so now, they hate each other. Well, it was more like a one-sided thing as Alfred didn't seem to have any hatred for Arthur. Anyways, Alfred kept on saying that they should share a milkshake sometime.

The Second pain in the ass-Francis Bonnefoy, the flamboyant, sexually-charged, practically-a-sex-offender student of the European Sector. Oh, how he hated the man. The French man had been his enemy since the first time they had met. Aside from him being one of the biggest perverts of the entire school, he had once did a prank on him, asking Arthur to marry him. Traumatizing experiences aside, he noticed how _touchy-feely_ he was with Maria. Especially her hair. _Damn the french and their knowledge with fashion. _

The third wasn't much of a pain in the ass but he was intimidating enough to be one. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was known to be a fatherly-figure to Maria, henceforth, he calls her "_Me hija_" and she calls him "_Kuya_". They were close as can be and Maria didn't seem to mind how much Antonio was hugging her. The only thing that stopped Antonio from kissing her on the cheek was a hand was from his kid brother, Juan Carlos Fernandez Carriedo.

"Stop molesting her, you pedophile!" exclaimed Juan in an exasperated manner. He pushed him away and tugged Maria into his own arms and held her in a very protective manner. Maria sweat-dropped. _What was going on? _

"How can you accuse me of such a thing, Juan!" said Antonio in a dramatic sort of way.

Juan Carlos was much like the man from Antonio, but the differences were astronomical. Antonio possesses green eyes while Juan has brown. Antonio has light brown hair while he possesses black. Don't get me started on their personalities either. That's another story.

Arthur inwardly cursed and was about to stand up when Maria caught his eye and pouted, as if she had read his mind and gave him a look that clearly said to stay. Biting his lip, he relaxed back and Maria smiled.

"Sorry about this, Mr. President-"

"Arthur. Calling me Arthur is fine." he said, resting his head on his hand. "You know quite a lot of people from the other sectors, Miss Maria."

"Calling me Maria is fine." she said. "Ah, yes... Well, it all started with Kuya Anton then I met a whole bunch of interesting people here."

"Interesting, huh..." said Arthur. Then suddenly, "So, you find me interesting?" he asked in a casual manner.

The effect on this simple sentence rocked the foundation of the entire banquet hall.

"_You?_ Why would Mon Cheri Maria have an interest with a brute_ like_ you?" said Francis.

"And why would she take an interest with someone who likes to molest random people!?" exclaimed Arthur.

"She clearly will choose me!" exclaimed Alfred confidently.

"And why would she do that?" asked a soft voice from behind. All turned heads to see two more students from the Asian Sector, Yao Wang and Honda Kiku.

"Isn't it obvious?" laughed Alfred. "Because I'm the Hero!"

Everyone face-palmed. They all resumed arguing and were not even conscious of the fact that Kiku was working up the nerve to ask her to go Karaoke with her this weekend. As Maria's passion is singing, she would be out of her mid to refuse this offer. Little did she know that she had actually accepted to go on a date with Kiku.

_Tactical little bastard..._ thought Arthur. _You may be my friend but you sure as hell are my love rival!_

"Mei, Kaoru, we have to get going-aru." said Yao to his siblings. Kaoru was first to stand up. Mei looked reluctant to go. She was busy observing everyone as they argued.

"Fine." said Kaoru, walking towards the doors out of the cafeteria way before Yao could turn his head.

"But-" Mei was about to protest.

"Mei, I need some help with something-aru." said Yao with finality in his tone of voice.

* * *

Mei walked behind Yao in silence. She was pondering hard on the scene just a few minutes ago which was uncharacteristic of her, really, as she was known as an airhead like Maria but hanging out with Honda Kiku did work wonders to her. Not only was she more observant but she could read atmospheres just like Kiku.

She thought of the obvious first which was easily the fact that everyone (Mr. President Arthur Kirkland, Bad Touch #1 Francis Bonnefoy, Daddy-Figure Antonio Carriedo, "Sister-Complex" Juan Carlos Carriedo, Shy-Type Honda Kiku and even her own older brother, Yao Wang) like, like Maria Clara. I mean, even Nyuyen Viet had a weird thing for her. She would usually start hitting people with something she was holding but as of right now, she was in the hospital ward because of a cold.

"Mei," her brother suddenly spoke. "...Does Maria have a date for the prom-aru?"

_See what I mean?_ she sighed mentally. "Nope."

"A-Ah, I see-aru." his voice trailed away.

Mei knew what she had to do. She will help Maria chose who she will go with to prom! She's got a wide selection in her hands..

_Okay! Let Operation: Catch Maria's Heart Begin! _She thought to herself giddily.

Yao noticed that his sister wasn't behind him anymore. He turned around and sweat-dropped when he saw that she was raising her firsts at nothing in particular with a very determined look on her face...

* * *

Yo, Jannah! Hope you like the start. I did this for you...

So, pairings aren't specified yet for our heroine, Miss Maria Clara dela Cruz A.K.A. Miss Philippines. Okay, I know she's just a fan made character but truth be told, The Philippines was a great part of the war so why can't she be damn canon?! Okay, I'm rambling now. So, take note:

1. Yao is the oldest brother with his siblings being Mei (Taiwan) and Kaoru (Hong Kong). Honda Kiku isn't part of it as he separated.

2. I know Juan Carlos is Mexico and he is supposedly (in fan's eyes) Antonio's (Spain's) son but this is a high school story! So, I made them into siblings.

3. Ludwig and Gilbert (Germany and Prussia) are brothers in this story as they share the same last name.

4. Alfred (America) used to be Arthur's (Britain's) kid brother but emancipated himself before entering World Academy. [_ahemdeclarationofindependenc eanyone_]

4A. If you don't know what emancipation is, it means the breakage of relationship between parent and child. It's kind of like... divorcing from your family. This is done by minors who wish to be freed from any parental or guardianship guidance whatsoever.

5. Forgive me if these characters are not how you want them to be. I made the like that for the sake of the story.


	2. Of Resolves and Tough Decisions

**Of Corsages and Bowties **

_**A Hetalia Prom Story**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any sort with regards to the characters used in this writing. Axis Powers: Hetalia belongs to **Hidekaz Himaruya**. If I did own it, which will never happen, Maria would be cannon and the "First Rape of Manila" would be in the damn series.

JUST SO JANNAH WILL GO...

O_O

* * *

**Chapter One:**

**Of Resolves and Tough Decisions**

* * *

**Arthur's Case**

* * *

The Student body President's office was a large, magnificent room with a large crystal chandelier dangling over a long table where the council members usual sat at to discuss things during meeting. A mahogany table with the chair facing the back of the large floor-to-ceiling windows was being occupied by Arthur Kirkland who had just gotten back from the cafeteria after a completely irritating and not to mention nauseating argument between he and other students.

"Ugh... I need tea." he grumbled to himself. I stood up and went over to the small, kitchen-like area, minus the fridge and stove, though. He took out from the cupboards an intricate tea set, a gift from Yao Wang-a member of the council from the Asian Sector, and plugged on the heater. A few minutes later, he sipped his favorite Earl Grey tea as he was reading the list of activities being planned during the Prom.

He was on his second cup when he saw the words "King and Queen" of Prom at the very bottom of the paper. It was only first page too. To him it felt like it was twenty pages thick. Or maybe even more than that. He sighed, placed his cup unto it's saucer, and turned over the next page.

As he expected, the next page was the list of candidates for King and Queen. One of the names were the obvious choices: Roderich and Elizabeta, Basch and Lili and strangely enough, Natalia Arlovskaya, Katyusha Braginskaya and Ivan Braginski were there as well. Heck, even his name was down for the list of possible Kings. And Alfred's... Francis (he nearly barfed at this), Yao Wang, Antonio and a whole lot more. Psh. He rolled his eyes at the very thought. As if he would participate in something like that.

Well, unless his date was going to be a certain girl from the Asian Sector... but he felt like he was waiting in line. A _very_ long line. There were so many obstacles in his way. Heck, the biggest one was probably Maria's obliviousness. She was denser than water at four degrees Celsius. It was clear since he witnessed it himself.

But even with this, he found it charming, in a way.

He stood up, opened the windows stepped out into the balcony, enjoying the afternoon air for a while before catching the sight of the representative of Monaco being asked by his own little brother, Peter Kirkland, to the prom. He felt the need to whack his brother on the head. Not because he was being completely straightforward about his actions but because he was jealous that he didn't have the guts to tell the girl _he_ liked.

He turned away when France's little sister nodded at his proposal. (A/N: Yup! Monaco is France's little sister. Deal with it.)

_I can do way better than that!_ thought Arthur confidently. _And I'll prove it by asking Maria! _

* * *

**Antonio's Case**

* * *

Antonio's mind was reeling. He knew he had competition. Heck, his own baby brother was one! His poor _me hija_ was going to be attacked by carnivorous monsters soon enough and for the love of God, where was his pole arm when he needed it!? He sighed as he walked around aimlessly in the European Sector's building.

He didn't want that. He would not hand over his precious _me hija_ just like that to anyone. Fatherly instincts or not, he must do something... And such a thing was shown to him right in front of his very eyes. He suddenly found himself by the garden next to the Tall tower where one of his so-called rival must be residing: Arthur Kirkland.

Right in front of him was Francis's baby sister being asked by the enemy's own little brother, Peter Kirkland. He was like a mini-Arthur, though his eyes and hair color are different, he looked like his older brother because of the distinguishable thick eyebrows the Kirkland brothers all seem to possess. So, Antonio watched in the shadows Peter asking the her in the most straightforward of manner, but with a bouquet of red roses and freesias.

The girl blushed and after moments of consideration, nodded and accepted his flowers. Peter smiled and took her hand, kissed it softly then pulled her into an embrace, making the girl stutter in her embarrassment.

And so it hit him. He must ask her. He must ask her to go to prom with him! But how...? He knew Maria liked simple things and never had much fascination for lavish of things when it was being thrown unto her. The rest of the afternoon was spent walking aimlessly around the campus, occasionally bumping into some people before he gave up. He was used to lavish things being thrown unto him. He hails from Spain, for Christ's sake.

"Maybe João Henrique can help me!" he suddenly exclaimed and made a dash for the dorms where he knew his half-brother was staying there.

* * *

**Juan's Case**

* * *

Juan didn't want to admit it but he had to succumb. He had to succumb that he was actually in love with his half-sister. Not many know about this though. Maria used to have both "_Fernandez Carriedo_" in her name until she emancipated herself from them and lived independently. They were reunited here, in this very Academy and Juan had to admit, his _hermana_ was just as beautiful as she was years ago.

Curse his siscon. He didn't need his cousin, Lovino Vargas, to point it out that he had the weirdest feelings for his sister. He knew quite well and didn't need other people reminding him. But he couldn't help it. How could anyone not fall for his sweet, innocent, kind, selfless (insert more descriptive words here) sister?

He lay back down on his dorm room bed where he decided to hide for the rest of the afternoon. His roommate, another one of his cousins-Feliciano Vargas-was also there, snoring away while his cellphone rang violently on the end table. In irritation, he picked t up to see who was calling and it as no surprise that it was actually Ludwig Beilschmidt. He ignored the call and set the phone into silent mode before throwing himself back into his bed.

Seriously, even his own older brother was advancing on her! Well, she wasn't anymore part of the family. She broke all ties with the name Fernandez Carriedo a long time ago... He sat up to ponder. Should I... should I take this chance then? _Shall I ask her? _

But how? he wondered. He couldn't think so much when Feliciano over here was snoring like a foghorn. In a desperate attempt, he threw his pillow at him but no such luck. In fact, the bastard even hugged it. Sighing once again, he stood up and went out of the room. The European Dorms were right in front of the President's Tower, which was where he saw the President himself looking down at a scene down below in the gardens.

Curious to know why the President was looking so sour, he moved closer to the windows and saw a sight to behold. Charlene* Bonnefoy, the representative of Monaco and Francis's little sister, was being asked by the president's little brother, Peter Kirkland, who represented Sealand. He was quite straightforward about it. To the point.

"Will go with me to prom, my lady?" he said out loud, offering her a large bouquet of roses and freesias.

"Y-Yes... I will." replied Charlene. It was so quiet within the area that her soft voice can be heard just fine. She took the bouquet and smelled them, blushing as she did so.

Peter took her hand and kissed it gently. He must have learned that from her older brother. After earning a stutter from the girl, he pulled her into an embrace. He looked up and saw that the President was making his way back into his office. Juan stepped back and walked back into his room. Feliciano had woken up.

"Something wrong, ve~?" he asked in a dazed tone.

"Nothing..." he said, kicking off his shoes and threw his necktie on the end table. "Don't wake me up. I'm tired." he said as he crawled unto bed.

"Okay!" replied Feliciano. "Oh, want to use this pillow?"

"Whatever..." he mumbled. Feliciano went over and gave his pillow back before leaving the room to find Ludwig. As Juan was falling asleep, he was sure he had a good idea on how to ask Maria... something involving flowers too... but he was too groggy to think any further so he succumbed to sleep.

* * *

**Alfred's Case **

* * *

Alfred leaned back on his desk chair and stretched. He picked up another burger from the mountain of it piled unto his bed and stared at his screen. It's nearly three in the afternoon. He had an essay to do about the Cold War. The only sentence he made so far... was his own name at the top left corner of the Word Document.

After the rather interesting lunch at the European Sector (Ugh, Arthur's fish and chips were as horrible as ever), he excused himself from class with the reason being that he had a stomach ache. He might as well had after eating Arthur's food three hours ago. He sighed, opened iTunes and played some music, relaxing back into his seat, finishing his burger in no less than a few minutes.

A new song came on and somehow, it reminded him of Maria. Probably because it was Ricky Martin's song "_Maria_". He laughed a bit then suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. He opened Google, because this isn't 1942, and typed in corsages in the search box.

"I wonder what she'll like here..." he mumbled to himself as he looked at the pictures. There were the usual ones with roses and stuff but he wanted something special. Something that would fit Maria... something that would totally make her go to Prom with him. Ha! and whoever said he wasn't a romantic can just kick themselves! After all, he was the hero! and the Heroes always get the girl. He was just to try a different tactic.

Oh yeah, he was good.

* * *

**Francis's Case **

* * *

He couldn't believe his ears. Did he hear his dear sister wrong? Well, _that_ was highly unlikely. He kept himself well-groomed (_it's for the ladies~_), and that included cleaning his own ears. After all, how else would he overhear the many interesting stories to tease Arthur Kirkland with?

But as of right now, it wasn't Arthur that was his problem. It was another Kirkland brother: Arthur's younger brother, Peter Kirkland.

Charlene Bonnefoy was his beloved sister who represented the Principality of Monaco, a monarchy-ruled country that neighbors with France. He loved her for everything that she was, everything she liked and so on and so forth but this time, he was beginning to question his allowance for Charlene to be so liberated.

"_Ma sœur chérie*, _could you repeat that for me one more time?" he asked in a casual manner.

Charlene fidgeted on her seat, which was so unbecoming of her, but she was nervous to tell her older brother. Finally, after mustering up more courage than before, she released a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding and stated, quite plainly,

"I am going to Prom with Peter Kirkland." she said, losing all sense of nervousness when she said it. It was like a huge weight had just been lifted from her shoulders. She was back to her prompt, elegant and somewhat aloof way. It was this side of her that fitted her to be Monaco's representative.

"Cher, cher moi! Pourquoi?* _Pourquoi_, Charlene?" he exclaimed in the most dramatic way. You can almost see the spotlight illuminating down unto his form. Charlene half-expected her brother to do one of his dramatic "pulling-the-edge-of-my-handkerchief-in-my-grief" at this point on.

"Because I can, dear brother." she said, a small smile graced her face, despite the situation. "I do hope you accept this, brother. I do like Peter."

The look Charlene was giving him made him give in. The twinkle in her eyes was the ticket. Plus, he would be out of his mind to refuse his sister. With a reluctant and very forced smile, he gave his approval. Charlene broke into a wide smile and kissed her brother on both cheeks before walking away towards the Girl's dormitory.

_Curse the Kirkland brothers!_ he thought dramatically. As of the moment, even innocent Peter Kirkland was his enemy! He never really had any hard feelings for the guy... just his older brother...but this was another situation. Then, he had the most brilliant idea. He was going to get Arthur Kirkland back for letting his little brother ask his little sister.

"Ohohohon~" he laughed, pulling out a rose from nowhere in particular then twirled it around. "I shall ask Maria to Prom and see the look on that brute's face! _Ohohohohon~_"

He was too busy feeling good about his plan to notice the weird looks everyone was giving him.

* * *

**Kiku's Case**

* * *

Honda Kiku was the shyest guy in the entire Asian Sector. Probably in the entire Academy. It took him quite a long time for him to get accustomed to this place as he was deemed a _hikikomori*, _and he really wasn't good at dealing with people... unless he was leading them to something else. Yup, he was a manipulator like that. You really don't expect the quiet ones to be the most dangerous...

With him being like that, it was hard for him to actually find someone interesting. Unless you counted the American Representative, Alfred F. Jones. Boy, were his freshmen years nuts with this guy. Not only did he feel like a total lackey but he felt so weird being exposed to Alfred's culture. Nevertheless, they remained quite civilized with each other. Then, there was Arthur Kirkland. He was an interesting man... if more ways than one. For one thing, he kept on pointing out stuff that it seemed, only he knew and saw but not Kiku. Whenever he did this, he would just assume that Arthur was tired. After all, running the school as the Student Body President was no walk in the park. He branded him... weird. But nevertheless, they are friends as friends would go.

But, quite frankly, he doesn't "_swing that way_*", as Alfred would phrase it. Or was it "_Pitch for the other team_*"?...

But the one that really caught his eye the most was a girl from his Sector. She had slightly tanned skin, gorgeous large brown eyes, thick, silky waves of black hair and the most beautiful smile that seemed to captivate more people than necessary. With his ways of reading the atmosphere around a situation,particularly awhile back during Lunch hour, he therefore concluded that he had a lot of rivals with this girl: Maria Clara dela Cruz.

She was, by far, the most popular person in the school. The Representative of the Philippines had caught several eyes already from every Sector and he was one of them. But so were his friends, Alfred and Arthur. And there was that Francis Bonnefoy and even the Carriedo brothers, who seem to refer her as "_mi hija_" or "_hermana_". He knew from research that meant "daughter" and the other, "sister".

But, as far as anyone knew, their first impression of each other wasn't a happy one. In fact, they got off at the wrong start. It took him most of 3 years* of his school life just so he could be forgiven by the very conservative young woman for an incident that was purely accidental. She was feisty and yet kind and very stubborn but that just added to her charm. He somehow managed to have a friendlier relationship with her after all that effort.

And now, with him on his last term and she still his junior, he was determined to overcome his shyness and ask her to this dance called Prom. He wasn't exactly aware of what this Prom was, as it wasn't in his culture but it seemed as if you were to go with someone you liked during this time. And, as he had asked her earlier to go Karaoke with him, it was best to ask her there with no one to disturb them. He looked out the window and smiled as a breeze rolled by. The sakura tree by his window rained pink petals down upon him. He looked down on his tea. A tea leaf was floating upright. Ah, it was a sign of luck.

* * *

**Maria's POV **

* * *

After the interesting lunch, Maria went to class to find Yao Wang, Mei and Kaoru's older brother, dropping them off to class before he headed for the President's Tower, the Student Council's office, for a supposedly important meeting about the upcoming events this February.

"Ah, Maria-aru." greeted Yao. "How are you?"

"Fine, Kuya Yao." said Maria with a smile. "Are you headed off somewhere?"

"Ah, yes. I have a meeting with the council." he said. He looked at his siblings. "Behave yourselves, Mei. Kaoru. I leave them in your capable hands, Maria."

Maria giggled but tried to hide it by turning her back from the three. Mei rolled her eyes at Yao. "You wouldn't want to be late, Kuya." she said. "C'mon, Maria, we better get inside. It's time for Philosophy... ugh, only Heracles Karpusi is good at this subject."

Yao bid them goodbye and stalked off towards the opposite end of the corridor. The three of them went in and sat behind the class, where they always sat because they were never really good at it. Philosophy 101 was all about Logic and it was by far the most confusing subject they had. Only the great Heracles Karpusi was good at it. He was the top student in _EVERYTHING... _even though he sleeps like a log in every subject.

When the teacher came in, some grumpy looking guy named Socrates*, Maria, Mei and Kaoru just sat back, trying to conceal themselves with the towering seniors in front of them. They were one of the very few Juniors in the class, as it was supposedly meant for seniors, but the school deemed them intelligent enough to cope. They didn't exactly agree to it, though.

"Okay, say 'present' if your name is called." he said in a monotonous voice. He recited the many names on his list. When he reached the Females, Maria's name was first. But, instead of the present she was supposed to utter, her words were held back by the sudden weirdest urge to-

She sneezed quietly, like a mouse's squeak. Realizing that all eyes were on her, she said "Present" to avoid losing face.

"Caught a cold, Miss dela Cruz?" asked the teacher, a hint of concern beneath his calm voice. Maria shook her head and blushed slightly in embarrassment.

That was only be beginning of it. All throughout the afternoon, she was sneezing in random moments, often interrupting people when talking that she had to apologize profusely. At three in the afternoon, when classes were finally over, she was beginning to believe Kiku's one belief; "_If you sneeze, there must be someone talking about you._"

Mei and Kaoru suggested that she should go get some medicine from the clinic. Maria pouted at this. She didn't catch a cold but then again, it was nearly her shift at the school clinic anyways.

"We'll come with you~" said Mei. Kaoru sighed but followed the girls nonetheless.

The clinic was a small building nestled between the European Sector's building and the Asian's sector. It was painted in white and was inviting with the many flower beds outside that are in bloom, such as the _African Violets, Amaryllis and Cape Primrose_, which were winter flowers. Ivy was growing at the side of the building, making it look so homey.

Bella, the student Matron, was by the desk, arranging folders and such and looked up when Maria was coming towards her. They greeted at each other and headed for the changing rooms, letting the two go see Nyuyen Viet.

Nyuyen Viet, lay on a bed with white linen sheets at the far corner of the Women's ward, sleeping peacefully with a light snore. Her hair was spread out on the pillow she lay on and her hands were on either side of her face. Today was the day she was allowed to go out as she had finally recovered from her wretched cold. The Representative of Vietnam groaned a bit, fluttered her eyes groggily then opened them wide when she saw Mei and Kaoru by her bedside.

She sat up abruptly, throwing the covered up and tacked the two to the ground. Well, tackled Mei to the ground as Kaoru had managed to avoid contact and stood above the two giggling girls.

"Ah~ I missed you guys~" exclaimed Nyuyen.

"Y-Yeah!" replied Mei, rather awkwardly, considering that she landed on her bottom_ quite_ hard. "Maria's going to have a fit if she sees you like this. You know you were only faking it."

"No I wasn't... well, I recovered just three days ago but I like it when Maria takes care of me!" replied Nyuyen, straightening herself up and standing up. Mei pulled herself up and dusted dust off her skirt. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed out in the hallway.

"Mei? Kaoru? Is Nyuyen awake already?" said Maria's voice from the hallway. They saw two shadows looming below from the crack beneath the door. Nyuyen jumped to her bed and quickly positioned herself. Mei rolled her eyes.

Maria entered the ward, her thick black hair piled up in a tight bun and a white nurse's cap on her head. Her white blouse was short-sleeved and buttoned from top to bottom. A red cross was sewn on one side of the chest. Her skirt was long and reached to her knees, with a slightly A-line trim. Her legs were covered in white stockings and on her feet were white flats.

If a pervert were to see this right now, Good god, the fantasies are guaranteed to be X-rated.

"How are you feeling, Nyuyen?" she asked sweetly. Bella passed by behind her, dressed in her school uniform, and waved her a goodbye before walking off.

"She's fine now." said Kaoru. "She just glomped Mei and scrambled back to bed to pretend to be sick again so she can spend more time here with you taking care of her."

Nyuyen shot him a glare. He turned to her, looking at him in his usual deadpan stare which she slightly cringed from and turned to Maria, who was amused by this.

"I knew from the start, Kaoru." she smiled at him. The three of them gave her an incredulous look.

"Y-You did?" asked Nyuyen.

"Yes." she said. "I've been taking care of people since my freshman year here, Nyuyen. I would know when someone's faking it."

They all agreed mentally. Maria may be an airhead sometimes but she can be observant if she wants to be. With her knack of taking care of other people, of course she would know when someone is just pretending. But then again... she was_ far_ too nice to turn someone down. Nyuyen sighed and grinned at Maria, who smiled graciously back and pulled the covers away to fold them. Since she was found out already, Nyuyen jumped off the bed.

"Here are your clothes." said Maria, pulling out a forest-green Ao dai from the closet and a pair of matching pantaloons. Nyuyen took them and went off to the changing rooms. Kaoru looked at Maria as she pulled off the sheets and placed them in a pile along with the blanket. The two watched as she took out fresh ones and replaced them on the bed.

"Maria," said Kaoru's voice suddenly. "Who are you going to Prom with?"

Mei inwardly flinched. How unexpected for her brother to suddenly ask that question! Many thoughts were coursing through her mind and one of them was what if Kaoru actually had feelings for Maria as well.

"Hm... no one has asked me yet." she said quite plainly.

"Has anyone tried to?" he asked.

"No... why are you asking me, Kaoru?"

"No reason." replied Kaoru, closing his eyes and crossing his arms against his chest.

Maria looked as if she was going to ask something but Nyuyen appeared once again and glared at Kaoru.

"For a second there, I thought you were going to ask Maria, Kaoru."

"I'm going with Miss-Sunshine over here." he pointed at Mei, who raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Nyuyen grinned wickedly, pulling Maria by the waist towards her and wrapped her in her arms protectively.

"Because if you did, I'd have no choice." she pulled out a long paddle from nowhere in particular and pointed it at Kaoru. "Because I am here to protect my Maria from any males who dare come between me and her!"

Kaoru continued to look deadpan at this. Mei sighed and looked at Maria, who looked as if she didn't have a clue what Nyuyen had just said and just laughed. This was going to be a problem for Mei. She had already thought of the most epic plan for Maria's fate in men to be decided. But with Nyuyen in the way... well, things are just going to be complicated.

* * *

A/N: WOW. I know I was supposed to write Yao Wang (China) and his resolve but I couldn't possibly make this harem any larger than it is. So, with everyone's resolve done, here are the fine points of the story:

1. **Monaco, **officially the Principality of Monaco, is a sovereign city state, located on the French Riviera in Western Europe. Bordered by France on three sides, with one side bordering the Mediterranean Sea, its center is about 16 km (9.9 mi) from Italy, and is only 13 km (8.1 mi) north east of Nice, France. (_Information from Wikipedia_). According to Hidekaz, Monaco is considered as "_France's Little Sister_". The name Charlene is from the Princess of Monaco, **Charlene Lynette Wittstock**, the wife of the current Prince of Monaco. Monaco is an actual character but left unnamed by the Author. For the purpose of the story, I will name her Charlene.

2. **João Henrique Lisboa-Carriedo** is (supposedly) the name of Portugal's representative, half-brother of Antonio Carriedo (Spain).

3. In the story, Maria is supposedly adopted into the Carriedo Family (composed of Henrique, Antonio and Juan) but separated to live on her own. She dropped "Fernandez Carriedo" from her name and changed her name to dela Cruz, which reportedly in the Philippines, is the most common of all surnames. _This symbolizes Philippines's breakage from the Spanish rule. _

4. It was actually really random when I thought of **Sealand x Monaco**. Bear with me with this rather crack pairing. It's for the sake of the story. With Arthur and Francis's loathing for each other, it's adding oil to the fire for their little siblings go out with each other.

5. I'm sorry for making Alfred's case REALLY short. And, I think I made him a bit too simplistic when it comes to thinking... But really, I'm trying to follow the personalities of the characters from the anime. Alfred really isn't the tactful guy in the story.

6. _Ma sœur chérie = _My dear sister. _Pourquoi_ = Why. Oh Francis is so~ dramatic.

7. **_Hikikomori_** literally means pulling inward. This term is used to describe the phenomenon of reclusive adolescents or adults in Japan who refuse social interactions with other people or, quite plainly, leaving the confines of their houses. This is to symbolize Japan's isolation from the rest of the world for 200 years during the **Edo Period (1600 - 1868)**. His (rather strained) friendship with Alfred symbolizes the invasion of the Black Ships, lead by **Commodore Matthew C. Perry**, an american, who played a vital role in opening the Japanese ports and the Meiji Restoration. Next is Kiku's friendship with Arthur symbolizes the **Anglo-Japanese Alliance**. The alliance was renewed and expanded in scope twice, in 1905 and 1911, before its demise in 1921. It was officially terminated in 1923. For the sake of the story, Kiku, Alfred and Arthur will all have civilized actions towards each other.

8. It's a Japanese Belief that if a tea leaf is standing upright at the center of the cup, it means it's a good luck. It's also a belief that if one sneezes, someone is talking about them.

9. In reference to the "First Rape of Manila", this is the time when the British had invaded the Philippines between 1762 and 1764. They occupied Spain's colonial capital, Manila and the port of Cavite. Rape, homicide and vandalism also rampaged through the city in what is known as the first "**Rape of Manila**". The British demanded a ransom of four million dollars from the Spanish government to stop the plundering of the city, to which Archbishop Rojo agreed in order to avoid further destruction.


	3. Of Announcements and Volunteering

**Of Corsages and Bowties**

_**A Hetalia Prom Story**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any sort with regards to the characters used in this writing. Axis Powers: Hetalia belongs to **Hidekaz Himaruya**. If I did own it, which will never happen, Maria would be cannon and the "First Rape of Manila" would be in the damn series.

JUST SO JANNAH WILL GO...

O_O

* * *

**Chapter Two: **

**Of Announcements and Volunteering**

* * *

The moon looked magnificent in the evening sky. The stars It was nearly dark when Maria retired from her shift. Mei and Kaoru had taken Nyuyen to the dorms already and said that they would meet for dinner. She closed the folder she was pondering over, placed it in the file cabinet next to her and stood up from her seat, stretching for a bit.

But, just as she was about to turn her heel, someone knocked on the door and came in. Maria turned around to see Arthur Kirkland, now dressed in his usual attire of a long-sleeved shirt topped with a red vest accented with gold and a lace cravat. As always, the president looked impeccably

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Maria." he said, bowing slightly. "But I need some medications."

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern as she walked towards him. She gestured him to one of the more comfortable seats near them. He sighed a deep sigh when he had finally seated himself there. Maria scrutinized his well-being. He looked extremely tired. Though the circles beneath his eyes weren't deep and dark, as if he had been suffering from insomnia, but he looked tired and looked like he would faint.

This wasn't the first time Maria had seen him enter the clinic, looking so haggard, despite his well-kept appearance.

"I have an agonizing headache right now." he said, bowing his head even lower. "A standard tylenol or generic acetaminophen tablet would be nice right about now."

"Right away." she replied and hurried away behind the desk to retrieve the said medicine. She then went to retrieve some water. She looked up to scrutinize him again. He was rubbing the certain part of his temples, which was where a pulse can be found, and that was a big-no-no. She hurried over and looked at him sternly. He ceased his actions and was handed the medicine.

As he popped the pill into his mouth and drank the water, Maria sighed.

"Sir, this really isn't the first time you asked for such medicine." she said, a hint of sternness could be found in her soft voice. "You really need to rest sometime, you know."

"As much as I'd _love_ that, I can't just let work pile up." he replied, giving her back the half-empty glass of water. "With an important up-coming event in the next two weeks, I have more work than ever."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Arthur found himself flying backwards and landing his head on Maria's lap. As expected, his cheeks burned scarlet and he tried to struggle from this but her firm hands gripped his head in place. _Doesn't this woman know this position isn't really for their level of relationship?! _

Apparently not.

Maria began pressing certain areas of his head. When she hit a certain spot, Arthur's throbbing head... seemed to have eased up a bit. The immense pain he felt a while ago was being soothed by her gentle touches. Arthur had to admit... he was enjoying this quite a bit but then the reality of the situation was smacked right back at him. Mentally speaking, of course.

He hastily sat up, which made him a bit dizzy.

"S-Sorry. I'm feeling better now." he said hastily.

"...Really?" her voice was soft. He wasn't sure if it was a good sign or not.

"Y-Yes. Thank you for that." He adjusted his cravat around his neck to ease the uncomfortable feeling he felt. Had he hurt her feelings? She was being nice, after all but then again, she had to be nice to the patient as she was the matron. Really, it was_ that_ hard to tell.

"What about the other council members?" she inquired suddenly. He pulled his cravat, accidentally making it tighter than it should be and hastily adjusted it again, as to not choke himself.

"They have their own jobs to take care of." he replied. "Mr. Yao is taking care of the catering services. That _dunce_ Alfred is taking care of the entertainment..."

He looked up to see Maria frowning. He raised an eyebrow.

"You don't have to call him that..." she mumbled. "Alfred is a good friend of mine..."

"Ah, sorry. I can't help it." said Arthur with an awkward laugh. He forgot how sensitive Maria was when it comes to her friends. Talk bad about them and she'll make you regret doing so. Right now, the look on her face made his chest hurt a bit.

"Well... Alfred is taking care of the music. Jose Manuel Rodriguez* is taking care of decor. Gupta Muhammad* is in-charge of equipment and such... Jack* is taking care of the security along with the Disciplinary Committee, Alvin Evans* is in charge of sending the invitations..." his voice trailed away.

"What about you?" she inquired...

"Me? As President, I have to look over everything. See if the details are fine. See to it that everything is perfect-"

"Then why form a _Prom Committee_?" she suggested. "That way, there will be someone else to look over the other council members' tasks and they will report to you in the end of the day."

Arthur looked at her as if she was a God. Why hadn't _he_ thought of that himself? Probably from all the stress he had accumulated from thinking so much, it slipped right out of his mind. He suddenly stood up and hugged her tight. Maria's cheeks reddened. She never had this fierce contact with anyone else apart from Mei, Nyuyen, Kuya Antonio or Juan. It was both a nice...and awkward feeling.

Mostly awkward.

Arthur thanked her when he was already headed towards the door, a determined look on his face. Maria stood there, looking at his back towards her, when suddenly, in a blink of an eye, he was no longer there. She tilted her head to the side. It wasn't that dark outside... right?

* * *

Arthur was being pulled towards the back of the building by someone slightly familiar who had the scent of Plum Blossoms on them. He tried to struggle from the grasp but he wasn't strong enough to do so. When he was finally released, he turned around to Yao's two younger siblings standing before him.

Mei was wearing her favorite pale pink, long-sleeved Cheongsam top paired with a knee-length pleated skirt and pink ballet flats. Two Plum Blossom flowers were pinned on either side of her face. Her brother wore a deep red colored Changshan, pants and shoes. His arms was crossed against his chest. They had a very scrutinizing look on each other their faces which made Arthur quite uncomfortable.

"Do you need something?" he asked the two. He was glad that his voice was even.

"We saw what you did to Maria." said Mei, in an uncharacteristically serious tone of voice. Her brother merely nodded once.

"L-Look, it was a spur of the moment, okay?" he said in his defense. "And it wasn't as if I was taking advantage of her or something!"

"You looked like you enjoyed yourself..." said Mei in an uncharacteristically dark voice.

"Look!" he exclaimed, throwing caution into the air. "That was a spur of the moment. I don't need the two of you to say something about it! It's not as if I was molesting her or anything! It was just a _hug_!" _Though it was a moment he certainly did enjoy... _

Mei's eyes widened. Kaoru continued to look a bit sour despite his deadpan stare.

"And, If you please, I have to go now. I must prepare tomorrow's announcements." he said gruffly, turning a heel and stalked off towards the opposite direction. Mei and Kaoru stood there for a while before sighing.

"I was only going to tease him." said Mei with a giggle. "He takes thing too seriously, that Arthur Kirkland."

"Yeah, whatever." replied Kaoru. "Let's go get Maria so we can have dinner."

_Always so forward_, thought Mei.

* * *

The Asian Sector was noisy tonight, on the account of the sudden bulletin posted on the wide, TV screen that usually showed them the Evening News. Posted on the large, flat screen was the announcement for a school assembly at the gymnasium at 9:30 in the morning tomorrow. There was a mix of relieved sighs, gleeful cheering and even complains and groans.

"Yes! No Physics class!" exclaimed Mei. Nyuyen, who took the same classes as Mei, Kaoru and Maria does also cheered. She missed a lot during her week of absence, after all.

"I wonder what the announcement is for, though..." mumbled Nyuyen after about a minute or two. "Did something happen?"

Mei looked at Maria, who was still looking at the screen above. Then, her eyes trailed to Kaoru, who was still looking deadpan to the world, poking his food with as much interest as watching plants grow. She sighed.

"Probably has something to do with the up-coming Prom." said Mei finally. "I mean, it's a week and five days from now, right?"

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Nyuyen. "I wonder what I'll wear..."

"You're having problems on what to wear?" Mei raised an eyebrow at this.

"Of course! I'd want to look my best if I want to dance with Maria." replied Nyuyen with still much enthusiasm in her voice. "I wonder if I should dress as a male..."

_Cue sweatdrop. _Mei sighed with an awkward smile on her face at Nyuyen's words.

"That won't be allowed, you know." said Kaoru, still not looking up at the three girls. "Girls have to dress in formal girls wear. No cross-dressing is allowed in all accounts."

"How would you know?" sneered Nyuyen.

"I read." he replied simply.

Maria looked around the dining hall. They were beginning to disperse as they have already finished their dinner. She saw Kiku, who was sitting next to Yao in a far table, standing up and exiting the hall with Yao beside him.

Mei yawned tiredly. "Well, I'm full and I'm tired. I think I'll hit the sack now."

"Don't sleep when you've just ate, Mei." said Maria, a bit sternly. Mei giggled and nodded. The three of them left for their dorm rooms. Maria, being roommates with Nyuyen, went in the opposite direction. Mei and Kaoru separated as well, as boys and girls are placed on different floors.

Tomorrow's going to be an interesting day, thought Mei as she sat on the edge of her bed. Thanks to Maria's suggestion, my plans will go flawlessly.

* * *

**THE NEXT MORNING **

After 7:30 - 9:00 Homeroom, Mei, Maria, Nyuyen and Kaoru headed for the gymnasium. When they arrived, it was nearly packed but they chose good seats near the front rows where the Asian Sector was gathered. Maria looked around to look for her friends. She caught sight of Alfred and his cousin Matthew. Alfred was munching on a burger while Matthew was hugging his white polar bear stuffed animal tight in his arms.

The 7 representatives of each continent were called to the back of the stage. Arthur, being both the President and the representative of the European Continent went ahead of all seven of them. Alfred patted Matthew hard on the back when he jumped off his seat and joined the other Continent Representatives.

"So, what do you think the announcement is going to be?" whispered Nyuyen in Mei's ear. Mei shrugged and averted her gaze from Nyuyen's questioning ones. She knew perfectly well what the announcement was going to be and she was going to be the one to volunteer first. Knowing Nyuyen, she'd be furious to know Arthur had so even touched Maria.

The whole school was silent as soon as Arthur and the six other Continental Representatives came up on stage and sat themselves on the chairs provided for them. Yao waved at his brother and sister. Kaoru looked away while Mei returned the gesture.

Arthur came up to the podium, cleared his throat and tested the microphone before speaking.

"Good morning to each and every one of you." he began. "I will be prompt about this whole ordeal so please pay attention."

Someone snickered behind him. He looked over his shoulder and gave Alfred a menacing glare which was only returned by a snicker.

"Ahem," he said again. "As of this moment, I am looking for eight volunteers to form the Prom Committee. This committee will supervise each of the assigned 7 Continental Representative's progress and will extend their help if necessary. The last member, which I will be assigning myself, will be in-charge of collecting the progress reports from each Prom Committee member and will deliver the progress report to me."

There was a mix of mumbling and odd hooting from the audience. Arthur raised an eyebrow at this.

"To make things more interesting, the Prom Committee members are excused from Final Exams, the same privilege that are given to the 7 Continent Representatives." he said, a small smirk forming on his lips.

That certainly woke up the crowd. There was an loud uprising from the crowd as each one of them, with the exception of a few others, were raising their hands and voices to do the volunteer work.

"I volunteer~" exclaimed Mei, loudly, standing up on Kaoru's shoulders just so she could stand tallest. Arthur had to admire her determination and nodded in agreement to this. "My brother also volunteers!"

Judging from Kaoru's "What-the-hell-are-you-talking-about" look he gave his sister, Maria knew he'd rather eat live snails than do volunteer work. Mei merely shrugged and pulled Kaoru from the crowd and rushed up on stage where Arthur gestured them to go. Nyuyen, stood there in utter perplexity, as Mei shook hands with Arthur Kirkland and Kaoru merely nodded once.

"I volunteer!" Juan Carriedo exclaimed. Arthur stared wide-eyed but Juan looked as if he wouldn't take no for an answer so he nodded once in agreement. Juan walked down the aisle, turning his head to coincidentally meet Maria's chocolate brown eyes. His heart skipped a beat but he didn't want to look stupid. After composing himself, he went up on stage and shook Arthur's hand.

Arthur noticed the look of defiance in Juan's eyes. He almost returned said look, as if accepting this challenge.

"I'll do it too-daze!" exclaimed **Im Yong Soo, **the Representative of South Korea.

Suddenly, someone from the uproar, stepped out from the crowd and just casually walked on stage. Arthur's eyes widened.

"A-Allistor?!" he exclaimed. Allistor Kirkland, the Representative of Scotland and Arthur Kirkland's brother, was sucking on his cigar when he noticed the disgusted look on his brother's face. He finally came face to face with him and took out the cigar from his mouth to speak. Though they were brothers, they couldn't look any more different. Allistor possessed messy, auburn-colored hair as opposed to the rest of the blondes of the Kirkland family but like all Kirkland brothers, he had emerald green eyes and thick eyebrows.

"Hey, little brother." he said with a smirk. He let go of the cigar and stepped on it to put out the light.

"What are you playing at, Allistor?" he whispered angrily under his breath.

"I'm bored. I'll just help you out as, of course, you _are_ the Representative of the European Sector." he said casually, patting Arthur's blonde head of hair and ruffling it slightly.

"W-Wha-"

"Thanks, Artie." he said with a smirk, turning a heel to walk up to the other volunteers. His eye twitched slightly as he looked at him getting chummy with the rest, who seemed to accept him just fine. After a moment or two, he cleared his throat and looked back into the crowd. Only three more to go...

"Don't leave me out, Mei!" exclaimed Maya Salena, the Rep. of Malaysia. Mei cheered giddily and ushered her to join them. Nyuyen, noticing her that there were only two spots left, ran up together with Maya and joined Mei and the rest up on stage.

There was an audible groan from the rest which quickly shifted into rage, as each of them fought each other for the last spot. Well, those who were willing of course.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" yelled a loud, booming voice from a megaphone. All heads turned to the direction where the voice came from and everyone grew silent almost immediately when they saw the formidable figure of the Disciplinary Chairman, Ludwig Beilschmidt. The few people who weren't was his best friend, Feliciano Vargas, who waved at him, trying to catch his attention.

"T-Thank you for that, Mr. Ludwig..." said Arthur. After everyone settled themselves back into their seats, Ludwig sighed and crossed the room to go lean against the wall by the stage, his brother, Gilbert, following suit.

"As I don't want another uproar about this, I shall pick whoever deems worthy for the eight member of the committee." he said. He scanned the crowd and saw who he was looking for. As much as he wanted to smirk at the prospect of hearing this from his rivals, he had to remain composed as ever as he announced,

"Representative of the Republic of the Philippines, Maria Clara dela Cruz, please come on stage."

* * *

"As you were the one who suggested it, I think it's best that you are suitable for the job." said Arthur to Maria as he seated himself behind his desk. His room was as crowded as ever with the eight additions. Ludwig and Gilbert were by the couches, as they were Chairman and assistant Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, and had to be in the meeting too.

Maria tried to protest some more but she then remembered Arthur's state last night. She really didn't want to give him any more reason to get an even bigger headache so she sighed and agreed to it.

"Now, I shall assign the other seven to their respective Continent Representatives." said Arthur. He pulled out a piece of paper from a pile and began to write. As he worked, the rest of the Committee members admired the interior of the place. They've never been inside the President's Tower before and it was just as magnificent and luxurious as the rumors told them.

"Alright, Miss Maria, please tell them their assignments." said Arthur, handing Maria the piece of paper which listed the names of the Prom Committee Members and the Continent Representatives.

"Nyuyen, you'll be with Kuya Yao." said Maria. She looked up from the paper to see Nyuyen coming up to Yao Wang.

"Kaoru, you'll be with Mr. Hassan" Kaoru looked at Gupta Muhammad, who looked back at him with a similar deadpan stare. Mei could tell he and her brother will get along just fine. They won't be talking much, anyways.

"Juan, you'll be with Mr. Evans." Juan came up to Alvin Evans and shook hands with him pleasantly.

"Mr. Allistor will be with Mr. Arthur." Allistor smirked and went to stand beside his brother, who rolled his eyes.

"Kuya Yong Soo-" said Maria but was cut off abruptly.

"Oppa!" exclaimed Im Yong Soo. "Maria, I thought we agreed you'll call me Oppa-daze!"

"Oh, right; Oppa Yong Soo will be with Kuya Alfred." They both gave each other wide smiles before slapping each other a high-five. With their different taste in music, everyone in the room were expecting this Prom to have the most interesting songs to be played...

"Maya, you'll be with Mr. Jack" Maya smiled and went up to Jack, who smiled widely and bumped fists as if they were old homies.

"Mei, you'll be the leader for all, supervising the rest of the Committee members with their work."

Mei's eyes widened slightly then she smiled brightly, slightly jumping with glee at her role. Coincidence or not, this was good. She had power. Well, over her members anyways. _All was going according to plan. _

"I am assistant supervisor and messenger." she mumbled. "That concludes the list."

"Very good." said Arthur, standing up. "Well then, Prom Committee members, get acquainted to your superiors. They will brief you on what to do from here on out. Ludwig, Gilbert, go with Jack and Ms. Salena."

"Allistor, follow me."

"Um... what am I supposed to do?" asked Maria. Arthur stopped for a second.

"Um... Stay here until I get back." he said after a few moments of pondering. "Set up a time with the Prom Committee Members for today's progress reports."

"Oh, alright then."

* * *

Out of earshot in the balcony window, Allistor took out another cigar from his pocket and lit it up. Arthur crossed his arms across his chest, trying to establish his thoughts. He looked at the inside of the office to find everyone still in the process of introducing one another.

"Allistor, admit it already." said Arthur suddenly. Allistor closed his eyes for a second as he blew smoke into the air. He opened one eye to look at Arthur with.

"What are you talking about, Artie?"

"You hardly even show up to class and now, you're suddenly doing volunteer work." said Arthur accusingly. Allistor didn't flinch. He merely sucked the end of his cigar and blew the smoke out.

"Do you think I have some diabolical plan or something, dear little brother?"

"I'm not sure about diabolical but I'm sure you have something up your sleeves."

"I assure you, dear Arthur, my sleeves are empty except for my own bare arms."

Arthur glared at him. He continued at it for several seconds until Allistor finally sighed and rolled his eyes to the heavens.

"You're such a git, Arthur. You really didn't think I wouldn't see through your plan?" said Allistor, taking his cigar out of his mouth to hold it between two fingers. "Your plan to have little Miss Maria all to yourself?"

As expected, Arthur's cheeks burned scarlet. He opened his mouth to protest but nothing coherent came out. Allistor chuckled and ruffled his little brother's blonde hair, making it messier than it already is.

"Calm down, Arthur. I'm not going to start blabbing about it through the PA system." said Allistor. "You can like whomever you want. Personally, I don't mind if you suddenly started going out with Alfred-"

"What the hell, Allistor!" exclaimed Arthur in disgust, though this made him even redder than before.

"You're so easy to tease, brother of mine." said the redhead. "It was only a joke, you know."

"W-Why do you care so much anyway?!"

"Like I said, I'm bored. And, I'm prepared to offer you any advice that I can present you with."

"A-Advice?" stammered Arthur, though he couldn't deny the feeling of curiousness at the prospect of his older brother's advice. He, being mostly focused on work and work alone, never really got the chance to properly get along with a girl. His brother, however, has been with lots of women.

"I'll help you win the heart of that Maria girl." he said casually. "Although, I might fall for her too-" he saw the look on Arthur's face and laughed out loud.

"I'm only pulling your leg, Arthur!" he said between his booming laughter. "But, this won't be easy, you know."

"What makes you say that?"

"Please; like I don't know how many guys are after that girl. Hell, I want to punch the lights out of that Antonio if he tells me one more time how _exquisite_ Maria's chocolate brown eyes are." he said, rolling his eyes at those very words.

Arthur knew this too. He didn't need Allistor to point out the obvious when he completely knew it by heart already.

"Nice touch with the whole, 'choosing the one I deem worthy' stuff, by the way." he said, snickering slightly. "The look on Francis's face when he heard you! And, that Alfred choked on his burger behind your back! Oh, not to mention Antonio's sudden mood change and that Honda guy's wide-eyed stare."

Arthur, despite himself, smirked. Mostly because he can just imagine that Bonnefoy's face when he said Maria's name.

"Oh ho... That's a nice look you have there, Arthur."

"Hmp." he said, looking away.

What broke the silence between them was someone suddenly exclaiming something that sounded like, "All American Rejects" which was countered by "Super Junior" by another voice. Arthur looked back at the office and saw that Alfred was arguing with that "Oppa" Yong Soo.

"This will surely be interesting." said Allistor, crossing his arms as he watched Arthur dashing back inside to break the fight. He looked out the clear, blue sky and the floating thick white clouds above that was obscuring the sun's light. With a sigh, he popped the cigar back into his mouth and sucked. After a particularly loud exclamation from Arthur, he looked at the scene in the office again and caught sight of pair of eyes for a split second.

_Huh_, thought Allistor, _I guess Antonio wasn't just exaggerating. She does have nice eyes. _

* * *

A/N:

Okay, let's get down with the names, first and foremost.

1. Jose Manuel Rodriguez = Representative of South America (Continent) and Representative of Chile.

2. Gupta Muhammad Hassan = Representative of Africa (Continent) and Representative of Egypt. He is not an OC, as he was seen in both anime and manga though very briefly.

2. Jack Kirkland = Representative of Australia (Continent) and Representative of The **Commonwealth of Australia** (Country). He is supposedly the younger brother of Arthur Kirkland but the older brother of Peter Kirkland.

3. Allistor Kirkland = Representative of Scotland (Country) and the older brother of Arthur Kirkland, Jack Kirkland and Peter Kirkland. His character is depicted as a stereotypical "ginger". There is one last Kirkland Brother and he is supposedly the representative of Wales.

4. Alvin Evans = Representative of Antarctica (Continent). He has no definite country representation as Antarctica does not have any countries, indigenous people, or rather, no natives and no political government.

Okay. Now that that's settled, I'm off to drink some water because I've been sitting on my ass for 3 hours straight typing everything you see here.

Please Review!


	4. CAST LIST

**Of Corsages and Bowties**

**COMPLETE CAST LIST **

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any sort with regards to Axis Powers: Hetalia. This belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya and Studio DEEN, respectively. All rights reserved. If I did own it, which will never happen, all the OCs mentioned in this story will be cannon.

* * *

**List of Families (the ones with siblings)**

**Kirkland Family**

1. Jonathan Kirkland, _Former_ Representative of the Republic of Ireland. Former, as he already graduated.

2. Allistor Kirkland, Representative of Scotland.

3. Dylan Kirkland, Representative of Wales

4. Arthur Kirkland, Representative of Great Britain

5. Jack Kirkland, Representative of the Commonwealth of Australia

6. Cody Kirkland, Representative of New Zealand

7. Peter Kirkland, Representative of The Principality of Sealand

**Carriedo Family**

1. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, Representative of the Kingdom of Spain

2. Juan Carlos Fernandez Carriedo, Representative of the United Mexican States

3. João Henrique Lisboa-Carriedo, Representative of the Portuguese Republic

**Bonnefoy Family**

1. Francis Bonnefoy, Representative of the Republic of France

2. Charlene Bonnefoy, Representative of the Principality of Monaco

**Beilschmidt Family **

1. Ludwig Beilschmidt, Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany

2. Gilbert Beilschmidt, Representative of the Kingdom of Prussia/Principality of Prussia _(They're a monarchy ruled country) _

**Vargas Family **

1. Lovino Vargas, Representative of Southern Italy

2. Feliciano Vargas, Representative of Northern Italy

**Zwingly Family **

1. Vash/Basch Zwingly, Representative of the Swiss Confederation.

2. Lili Zwingly, Representative of the Principality of Liechtenstein

**Wang Family**

1. Yao Wang, Representative of the People's Republic of China

2. Mei Wang, Representative of Taiwan/Republic of China

3. Kaoru Wang, Representative of Hong Kong/Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China

**Without Siblings... **

*Roderich Edelstein, Representative of the Republic of Austria

*Elizabeta Héderváry, Representative of Hungary

*Ivan Braginski, Representative of the Russian Federation

*Natalia Arlovskaya, Representative of the Republic of Belarus

*Katyusha Braginskaya, Representative of Ukraine

*Gupta Muhammad Hassan, Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt

*Matthew Williams, Representative of Canada

*Alfred F. Jones, Representative of North America. Formerly known as Alfred Kirkland.

*Heracles Karpusi, Representative of Greece/Hellenic Republic

*Sadik Adnan, Representative of the Republic of Turkey

*Maya Salena, Representative of Malaysia

*Maria Clara dela Cruz, Representative of the Republic of the Philippines._ Formerly known as Maria Clara Fernandez Carriedo. _

*Nyuyen Viet, Representative of Vietnam

*Jose Manuel Rodriguez, Representative of of the Republic of Chile

*Alvin Evans, Representative of Antarctica (continent, as there are no sub-countries in Antarctica.)

*Kiku Honda, Representative of the State of Japan

*Dia Kasdeya, Representative of Republic of India

*Nathan Janssen, Representative of Netherlands

*Bella Adriaenssens, Representative of the Kingdom of Belgium

*Lucius Fontaine, Representative of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

*Rina Castro, Representative of the Federative Republic of Brazil

* * *

**TEACHERS**

Socrates, Philosophy 101 Professor

Napoleon Bonaparte, Political Science Professor

Rafael Nadal, PE Teacher

* * *

A/N: This list might be updated as the story progresses. And, if you must know, Teachers mentioned in the list are known people. I'm too lazy to post them all here so look them all up yourself if you've been hiding under a rock all this time.


	5. Of Sudden Visitors and Lending Hands 1

**Of Corsages and Bowties**

**A Hetalia Prom Story**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any sort with regards to the characters used in this writing. Axis Powers: Hetalia belongs to **Hidekaz Himaruya**. If I did own it, which will never happen, Maria would be cannon and the "First Rape of Manila" would be in the damn series.

JUST SO JANNAH WILL GO...

O_O

* * *

**Chapter Three:**

**Of Sudden Visitors and Lending Hands, Part 1**

* * *

**A/N: Before everything starts, note the "*" after each words or names you come across with and refer to the CAST LIST. Thank you! **

* * *

**Arthur's Case**

When class resumed, Arthur stepped out of his office to go to class. Clutching his books and notebooks in one arm, he thought of Allistor. He rarely came to class. How rare are we talking about? Try once a month. Maybe twice if he was feeling like it. Arthur knew his brother was busy. Being the second oldest of the Kirkland brothers (_Jonathan Kirkland* being the oldest and Dylan Kirkland* being the third oldest_), he and Dylan were already training themselves in the field of business with Jonathan.

As though it wasn't obvious, the Kirkland Family was (_very, very_) wealthy and to keep it that way, all of them have to work hard. With Arthur being the 4th in line, he had to work as hard as the next person. _Really hard_. Being President of the Student Council was a big achievement but the only thing that irked him the most was him being second in his academic status, as the first one is Greece's Representative, Heracles Karpusi. Another thing is that he can't join his brothers in their around-the-world trips with the oldest Kirkland.

As he turned the corner and descended downstairs, he suddenly stopped when his ears caught very familiar voices coming from down below. He rushed downstairs, nearly tripping at one point but quickly gained balance. Down another flight of stairs he went until his feet reached the bottom of the five storey* building. He bent down, supporting his torso with his arm on his knee to catch his breath. _Note to self: Exercise more_, he thought inwardly. When he looked up, he was suddenly hit by something hard and was being pressed against it. When he finally looked up, after several moments of struggling, he saw Dylan Kirkland smirking down at him.

Apart from their emerald green eyes and thick, bushy eyebrows, the difference between the two of them was overwhelming. For one thing, Dylan had reddish-blonde hair and was a head taller than (_tiny_) Arthur. It wasn't exactly an exaggeration that he was literally being crushed by his brother's strong arms.

"How are you, dear brother?" exclaimed the Representative of Wales, ruffling Arthur's blonde hair then hugging him close once more. "You're still short as ever, I see."

"D-Dylan?!" stammered Arthur. "W-What are you-"

"Dylan, don't hog him all for yourself." said Jonathan's deep voice. Arthur finally managed to break free of Dylan's strong arms only to be caged again in his oldest of brother's own. Jonathan, the oldest of all Kirkland brothers, stood just a few centimeters taller than Dylan and had the exact same emerald green eyes and thick eyebrows. His hair, however, was reddish-brown.

"Gah!" he gasped as the wind was knocked right out of him.

"W-What is this?! A Family reunion?!" exclaimed Arthur, pushing Jonathan away with a very hard shove. The_former_ Representative of Ireland didn't even stagger. He even smirked, as if he _let_ Arthur to do it.

"It would be if Jack, Cody* and Peter were here." said Dylan with a grin. "I should give them a call."

"No, you don't!" exclaimed Arthur. "Why are you two even here?! Dylan, aren't you supposed to be managing our Indian Branches*?

"I do go here, Arthur." said Dylan nonchalantly. "Honestly, you call yourself School President? You're supposed to know these things as you keep our records~"

"_Bloody git..._" grumbled Arthur. "And you, Jonathan? What's your (pathetic) excuse?"

"I heard that, Artie." replied Jonathan. "And I came here to drop Dylan off. Allistor here," he pulled Allistor into the crowd. "..came earlier than we did. Our helicopter just landed, you see."

"What did you all even bother coming here?" Arthur hissed at Allistor and Dylan, as they were both still in school but hardly come in as the two of them were always being whisked away by Jonathan to go overseas. Arthur, being President of the Student Council, cannot join these travels, even though he too was a successor though only the 4th.

"Who would want to miss Prom?" asked Dylan, a smirk forming on his lips. "Got a date yet, Artie?"

Arthur blushed from the roots of his hair all the way down his neck. The other three laughed at his expression. Oh, they never get tired of teasing their little Arthur.

"So, this Maria girl Allistor told us about..." began Jonathan. "You're planning to ask her right?" They were trying hard to keep face but it was hard to when their little brother looked like an angry cat, rather than the ferocious tiger Arthur was actually intending.

"Where have I heard that name before..." mumbled Dylan. "Isn't that Antonio Carriedo's daughter?"

"Why would Antonio have a daughter? I know he's been held back _twice_ already because he keeps on having his frequent siestas during exams but that doesn't mean he-" Jonathan was suddenly cut off.

"No, you imbecile." said Arthur, rolling his eyes. "Just because he calls her _mi hija, _it doesn't mean that he's really his daughter. He's still in school for Pete's sake!"

"Well, we don't really care about that." Said Dylan. "All we want to do is help our little baby brother get the girl he likes~"

Arthur choked on his own spit. He tried to compose himself but had to get support from the nearest wall to stand up right. Had he heard this brother right? Was he too going to help him win Maria?

But then, he suddenly thought of something. What was there to gain from this? All his life living with three older brothers, he had been the subject of teasing and pranks that he more guarded when it came to them…

"What's in it for you?" he said, crossing his arms against this chest. "Why are all of you guys suddenly coming here just to help me? He put great emphasis on his last two words, even cocking an eyebrow to add to the inquiry.

The three others glanced at each other, a slightly perplexed look on each on their dashingly handsome faces. _Had they really been that, well, for a lack of better word, mean to Arthur for him to doubt their words so quickly?_ The same thought crossed their minds. It was both amusing… and slightly hurtful on their part.

"Oh, c'mon!" exclaimed Dylan. After spending so much time in Alfred F. Jones's home country, he was beginning to adapt to the dialect. "We're your brothers. We may tease you but we do it, not because we hate you—Good gracious, no—but we do it because we-"

"Oh God, _TMI_." Said Arthur, rolling his eyes though Dylan's sentence was unfinished. But, he had to admit, he knew the next few words that were coming, hence the reason why his cheeks were now flushed pink once again.

Just as Jonathan was to open his mouth, the warning bell rang, signaling that he was beyond late for his Political Science class. Hastily gathering his things from the floor, he bid his three brothers a hasty goodbye before making a run for it.

* * *

**Francis's Case**

Francis sat there in the middle row between two in front and two in the back, trying to understand the first question of his Political Science Quiz, when suddenly, the door swung open to reveal the Student Council President panting, leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath.

The teacher raised an eyebrow at his appearance. The usually prim and proper gentleman was never late. The teacher then trailed his eyes from the panting Arthur to three unfamiliar figures standing behind him.

"Mr. Kirkland, who are these visitors?" asked the teacher. Everyone in the class looked up from their papers to glance at whoever was outside. Francis actually stood up, hoping it was a cutie—or a group of cuties—only to fall back to his chair in disgust (or probably shock).

_As if one Kirkland wasn't enough to deal with in this class!_ Thought Francis, biting on the edge of his lace handkerchief that he held on a trembling fist. _Now there's an entire parade of them?!_

He really wasn't exaggerating (much). As Arthur stomped inside, a furious scowl on his face, three towering red-headed figures followed suit, one actually having the audacity to smoke a cigar between his teeth.

They all settled in the front row where three empty chairs were available, on the account that only Arthur was the only occupant of the first row of chairs.

"Ah, I miss this place." Said Jonathan, a nostalgic ring in his deep voice. He ran his hands through his thick, reddish-brown hair, making the ladies out the back swoon.

"Ugh, I don't." said Allistor, rolling his eyes at Jonathan's words. He took the cigar from his mouth and pinched the end of it with his black-leather-clad hand.

"You don't even come here often." Mumbled Dylan under his breath.

"Look who's calling the kettle black…" said Jonathan with a chuckle.

Even from where Francis was sitting, he can already imagine the look of fury on Arthur's face. He snickered slightly, delicately obscuring his mouth from sight with his handkerchief. He half wished these brothers stayed more often. After all, he'll just have to sit and watch as his own brothers are giving him the viewing pleasure of an Arthur Kirkland torture session right in front of him.

The teacher, finally managing to compose himself, handed Arthur a test paper and told him in a rather audible whisper to see him after class. Arthur nodded, his thick eyebrows still furrowed but sat back down anyways and started on his exam.

Thirty minutes into the exam, the bell rang but, thanks to whoever was in heaven, Arthur managed to finish his exam. Francis was ushered out of the room by the crowd behind him so he had no other choice but to exit the room, leaving the four Kirkland brothers.

On his way to the European Sector's Cafeteria, in the central garden area, he caught sight of Maria, emerging from the Asian Sector's building and on her way to their cafeteria. Just as he was about to call her out, two, equally tall, reddish-blonde haired boys came up to her. He moved a little closer to see those familiar thick eyebrows and emerald green eyes that all Kirkland brothers seemed to possess.

"Miss Maria, I presume?" asked Jack. "I'm Jack Kirkland. Jolly good to meet ya, mate." He said, extending his arm to grab her own hand and shook it vigorously. Mei was trying to restrain Nyuyen, who looked as if she could bite his head off. Kaoru? In the same state as you expect him to be.

"Oh, you're Mr. Arthur's little brother, right?" said Maria with a smile. "And you must be…" her eyes trailed away from Jack's to meet the boy's beside him. He smiled and extended his arm as well. Maria shook it gently before letting go.

"Cody Kirkland's the name, milady." He said, winking cheekily down at her. Maria nodded to him in acknowledgement.

"Um, not to be rude or anything," called out Mei suddenly, who had enough trying to restrain Nyuyen. "But, do you need something?"

"Oh, right." Said Jack, laughing awkwardly for a moment. "I need to speak with Maya but we need an escort to get inside your sector."

"Oh?" said Maria. "Well, I don't really mind. The canteen is just this way." She said, gesturing the two of them to follow her. Mei, Kaoru and Nyuyen followed as well.

Francis was about to make his move when Charlene's voice called out from behind him.

"Francis? What are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"A-Ah~" he said awkwardly, turning around to face her. "What brings you here?"

"Um… I'm headed for lunch?" she said, raising an eyebrow. She adjusted her glasses that was sliding off the bridge of her nose and peered over Francis's shoulder.

"The Asian Sector? Do you have any business there?" she inquired.

"N-No!" he replied hastily. "N-Now, now, we must eat! I do hope they have quiche or at least _crème brulee_. " He took her hand and pulled her forwards. She wanted to protest but that would make her lose face. She decided to keep up with his pace and walk gracefully beside him.

_Later…_

"What? An invasion of the Kirkland brothers?" said Charlene in disbelief. Though she didn't share the same distaste for even any of the Kirkland brothers (especially Peter), the idea of a whole army of them was… Well, she didn't mind it, actually but the idea that her older brother was uncomfortable with this made her a bit uneasy.

"Yes! Ugh, I cannot stand it!" he shook his head, both his hands gripping each side of his head in his frustration. "One is more than enough for me!"

"Um… how much are we talking about here?" piped up Charlene in a casual, innocent tone.

"Ugh, there were four of them in my class! One wasn't even wearing the uniform!" he exclaimed in wild outrage, though it wasn't as formidable sounding as he intended it to be.

"Then there's that _sea dog's_ three little brothers!" he said, pulling on the end of his handkerchief for dramatic effect. "Oh, dear me, how am I to handle this?!"

"Francis, calm down." Said Charlene sternly, blushing slightly from embarrassment. He didn't reply. He was too busy being dramatic, unconsciously finding himself on the table as he wept on, shaking his head from side to side as he vent out his frustration.

Charlene was about to lose her cool when someone else did the favor of putting some sense back into his skull. Elizabeta Héderváry stood there, a fying pan clutched in her trembling fist, her usually sun-shiny demeanor gone and replaced with vindictive fury.

Why, pray tell, did she do that? Easy. As Francis was lost in his own little dramatic world, had knocked over the plate of food Elizabeta had carefully selected from the banquet table for Roderich, who was now trying to calm her down. A couple of people laughed, especially Gilbert Beilschmidt, who was banging his fist to the table, earning a yelling from Ludwig.

"It's alright, Elizabeta." said Roderich soothingly, holding her by the arm then tugged her away. "I don't really mind. We'll just get some more."

Charlene profusely apologized for Francis's behavior. Before he and Elizabeta left, he assured the girl that it was fine and patted her reassuringly on the shoulder. As soon as they were off, Charlene turned to face her brother, who seemed to have passed out from the impact.

With a sigh, she decided to dutifully half-carry her brother in his time of need. Suddenly, a voice called out from behind her just as she had slumped Francis's limp arm on her shoulders. She glanced over her shoulder and blushed slightly at the sight of Peter Kirkland coming up towards her.

"Hello, milady!" he said, smiling brightly up at her.

"H-Hi Peter..." she said with a shy smile. "Um, now really isn't a good time. I must take my brother to the clinic... I hope it's open though..."

"Oh, I'll help you then."

"No, I don't want to be a bother-"

"No, I insist!" he said, taking the other arm and putting it on his own shoulders. "I can't let a young lady such as yourself do it. That would go against the gentlemen's protocol!"

She giggled slightly. And so, the two of them hauled Francis to the nearest lounge area they could find. Once they entered, they set him down quickly. Charlene stretched her arms while Peter cricked his neck. Francis Bonnefoy was no easy carry, even with both their efforts.

"Thank you, Peter." she said.

"No problem, Charlene." he replied, grinning.

"_...Maria..._" the two of them heard Francis say. They glanced down, thinking he was awake but he was still passed out. There was a slight look of elation in his expression.

"Who's Maria?" she mumbled.

"Maybe it's Maria dela Cruz? You know, the 8th Prom Committee member?" he said. "I saw your brother's," _and several others'_, he thought. "...expression when he called her name."

"Do you think he has feelings for her?"

"Why else would he react to that?" he said with a slight shrug. Charlene looked down at her brother, brushing away a strand of blonde hair from his face. She didn't want her brother to be experiencing unrequited love and if this Maria person was his type then she'll have to do something for her older brother.

Peter glanced at the look of concern on Charlene's face. As if reading her mind, he suddenly grabbed both her hands and grasped it tight with his own two. She blushed furiously at the sudden contact but she then saw the look of determination on Peter's face.

"I'll help you with whatever plans you may have." he said, grinning widely down at her.

_Plus_, he smirked mentally. _This is his chance to get back at his bully of a brother, Arthur. Like he didn't overhear him mumbling in his sleep about this Maria girl. _

"A-Are you sure?"

"Positive. You can count on me!"

* * *

**Antonio's Case **

João Henrique Lisboa-Carriedo couldn't understand why his half-brother, Antonio, was weird. Or rather, weirder than he usually was. Instead of his usual happy-go-lucky, laid back, disposition, He was depressed since yesterday when he came barging into his dorm room (where he was studying), exclaiming things that, to him, were incomprehensible but he caught a few words like "Rivals" and his (former) half-sister, Maria.

Now, he was sitting across him in the dining hall table, trying to distract himself from his half-brother's rather distracting depressed aura that radiated from him since this morning, after the announcement. He supposed that he sort of understood why he was being depressed, on the account that Maria was involved in this Prom Committee thing but he couldn't really understand _why_ he cares so much.

"Madre de Dios, Antonio!" he exclaimed in exasperation, slamming his fists on the table, shaking the foundations of said furniture. A few students glanced over their shoulders so he had to sit back down and try to calm himself. At least now, Antonio was looking up at him.

"Ugh, why are you so hung up on this?" he demanded. Antonio slumped his shoulders and looked as if he was about to cry.

"_My darling mi hija~_" he exclaimed, bawling comically into his hands. Cue the sweatdrops from the people who heard him. "She's going to be devoured by that bully pirate, Arthur Kirkland!"

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" exclaimed Henrique. "She's old enough to do what she wants, Antonio." he said, rolling his eyes to the cieling.

"And why are you calling her mi hija? She's our _hermana_!" he whispered under his breath. Antonio continued to bawl into his hands, as if not hearing this. Henrique sighed and ran his hands through his hair, flipping his short ponytail behind his back.

Henrique looked a lot like Antonio. Although his hair was a bit longer that he had to tie it into a ponytail, he and Antonio possessed the same chiseled, handsome faces, light brown hair and light green eyes. After a few moments of watching Antonio comically sobbing, he was sort of embarrassed now. As they looked almost the same, it was like seeing himself bawling like an idiot.

"Oh, stop it, will you?!" he exclaimed, grabbing hold of Antonio's collar and pulling him up so their faces were up close. Some distant part of his brain was telling him this was going to drive a certain population with a certain preference insane but he pushed it aside.

Now that Antonio was looking up at him, Henrique resisted the urge to punch him. Not only was he only pretend crying, as his eyes were not even bloodshot, Antonio looked at him as if he was the bad guy!

"Look, if it makes you this sad, why don't you ask her?" he said, letting go of the hold on his shirt front and pushed him back into his seat.

"Ask her to what?"

"To Prom,_ idiot._" sighed Henrique. "Madre de Dios, You were rambling on about how many people were already planning to ask Maria to prom so it's a basic _first come, first serve_ basis."

Antonio looked blank for a moment and in the next second, flashed a stupid grin on his face. Then his face fell when a thought crossed his mind.

"But how?!" he wailed, earning a well-deserved facepalm from Henrique. He wasn't sure if his brother was bipolar... or just plain weird.

"I don't know." he said. "I'm not the one with a weird _daughter complex_." he air-quoted the last two words.

Antonio slumped his shoulders and went back into the same state Henrique dreaded. Not thinking really what he was doing, he suddenly said,

"Ugh, if you're going to be this depressed, I'll help you."

Oh, how he immediately wanted to slap himself.

* * *

A/N: Oh God, I'm tired. This is just a break time. CONTINUED IN PART TWO.


	6. Of Sudden Visitors and Lending Hands 2

** Of Corsages and Bowties**

**A Hetalia Prom Story**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any sort with regards to the characters used in this writing. Axis Powers: Hetalia belongs to **Hidekaz Himaruya**. If I did own it, which will never happen, Maria would be cannon and the "First Rape of Manila" would be in the damn series.

JUST SO JANNAH WILL GO...

O_O

* * *

**Chapter Four:**

**Of Sudden Visitors and Lending Hands, Part 2**

* * *

**A/N: Before everything starts, note the "*" after each words or names you come across with and refer to the CAST LIST. Terms also with '*' can be explained at the A/N after the story. Thank you!**

* * *

**Juan's Case **

Juan Carlos was sitting on a four-person table with Feliciano and Lovino Vargas along with Ludwig, who strayed away from his brother to sit with Feliciano, much to Lovino's dislike. Just as he was about to bite into his taco, he witnessed the dramatic scene that Francis Bonnefoy guy did on a table—he could have sworn someone was putting that spotlight on him on purpose—and how Roderich Edelstein's girlfriend—_fiancée, wife or whatever_—hit him with a frying pan. God knows where that came from.

Then, his little sister apologized on his behalf and then _caterpillars-for-eyebrows_' little brother coming towards the girl and helping her carry the passed out man from the room.

"I wonder if big brother Francis will be alright…" he heard Feliciano mumble. Ludwig raised an eyebrow at this and Lovino snorted and rolled his eyes at his little brother's words.

"Hey, potato bastard, why didn't you stop him?" sneered Lovino.

"When that Bonnefoy guy gets going, there's no stopping him." Said Ludwig with a sigh. Juan inwardly agreed. He often witnessed this dramatic side as he did this at rather random times. _Well, he is the president of the Drama Club_, Juan thought as he bit into his food.

"Juan, have you found someone you want to go to Prom with?" asked Feliciano. Juan nearly choked and had to pound his chest with his fist. He took the glass of water Ludwig offered and panted as he gasped for air.

"What the hell, Feliciano—" he sputtered as soon as he managed, his cheeks reddening. Feliciano cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"I mean, it's next week… on Saturday." He said.

"U-Uh… well, yes I have someone I'd like to ask." He looked away to hide his embarrassment. Lovino—_that smug bastard_, thought Juan inwardly—smirked. Of course he knew.

"Ve~? Who is it? _Who is it?_" asked Feliciano eagerly, practically bouncing on his seat.

"I-It's none of your business!" exclaimed Juan, glaring weakly at his cousin. Feliciano insisted he tells him. Ludwig sighed.

"Don't force someone who clearly doesn't want to, Feliciano." He said sternly. Feliciano slumped his shoulders and pouted childishly_. No doubt this trait was shared by both Vargas brothers_, thought Juan.

"Hm, well you better hurry there, Juan, cuz' the Kirkland army is helping their kin." Said Lovino with a slight shrug. _Thank God they're not after us_, thought Lovino mentally.

"Kirkland Army?" Ludwig raised an eyebrow.

"They were in my political science class." Said Lovino. "Three red-heads came in with that eyebrows guy. Ugh, I swear, Bella was ogling at them." There was a hint of jealousy in his last statement.

Just as Juan was about to answer, he heard a distinct sound of someone's hands being brought down upon on the table and whipped his head around to see his older half-brother, Henrique and his biological brother, Antonio causing a scene as well.

Henrique had Antonio up by the collar, earning a few gasps and murmurs from several others.

Ludwig was about to make a move when a hand held him on the shoulder. He looked up to see Gilbert standing there with his signature—not to mention _creepy_—laugh.

"What are you doing, Gilbert?" demanded Ludwig. "They're disturbing other peo—" he was abruptly cut off by a sudden finger pointing at him.

"You didn't stop Francis from causing a scene so why brother with this one?" he smirked at the scowl Ludwig replied with. Juan looked at Lovino, who visibly smirked at Ludwig's demise.

Juan was half-concerned for what his two older brothers were arguing about. Henrique was more of the quiet type—if he's not on tequila, that is—in comparison to his eerily similar-looking half-brother.

When it looked like Henrique finally calmed down, he pushed Antonio back into his seat and they continued talking. Juan turned back to his cold food. He could have sworn he saw Henrique's lips form the word Maria…

* * *

Feliciano was going to the Art Club where they were going to help the Prom Committee with the decorations and Ludwig said he was going to patrol the school before his PE Class at 3:00. Seeing as how Lovino and Juan shared the same Speech 101 Class, they went to class together, though the walk was in silence.

After quite some time, Lovino spoke first.

"So, thought of a way to ask Maria to Prom?"

Cue the splutter of indignation from Juan.

"W-Why do you assume that it's immediately M-Maria?!"

Lovino rolled his eyes.

"As if you have any interest in other girls than Maria." He said. "So, have you?"

Juan blushed and looked away from Lovino. He bit his lip but then couldn't hold it much longer…

"Y-Yes… but I'm not really good at making it…"

"Making what?"

"A Bouquet of flowers… Maria likes flowers a lot so I thought of giving a bouquet to her when I ask her. She really doesn't like extravagant things much so I want to keep it simple when I ask her…"

Lovino blinked for a while then went quiet. After they turned a corner and climbed a set of staircases, he finally spoke. Juan noticed a tint of pink coloring his cheeks and how his brows were furrowed, just like he always looked if he was embarrassed about something.

"I-I'll help you make one…" grumbled Lovino, halting his steps and sounding as if he was forcing every ounce of his being to do said action. Juan's eyes widened and he actually halted in his pace a few paces away from Lovino, who had his head hung low but from what Juan can see, his ears were red—an indication of his utter embarrassment.

"R-Really?" he never really pegged Lovino to be as artistic as his younger brother, much less in the field of flower arranging.

"O-Of course!" Lovino exclaimed, crossing his arms against his chest. "I-I don't want my little brother to be affected by you if you're going to be depressed."

_Nobody ever said about being depressed_, though Juan but he smiled fondly at Lovino nonetheless.

"_Muchos Gracias_, Lovino." He said, putting a hand on his Lovino's shoulder. Juan laughed when Lovino's face became as red as Antonio's tomatoes. Lovino roughly shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and stomped away.

_Helping hands can surely come from unexpected people_, thought Juan as he followed Lovino down the hall. _But hey, who's complaining?_

* * *

**Alfred's Case**

Alfred stretched his arms up in the air and arched his back. He was in his bedroom alone. After hoarding practically every burger they served at the cafeteria and enough coke to go along with it, he retreated to his bedroom to eat.

As _Dirty Little Secret_ blasted in his speakers, he glanced over his shoulder. His eyes surveyed the black tuxedo hanging by a hook on his open closet door. He set down his burger and stood up to lift the suit from the hook and held it in both arms.

A sudden rush of nostalgia washed over him, making him smile fondly at a sudden memory that crossed his mind.

* * *

_"What? You're giving me this?" said Alfred as he looked at the blue suit he was holding right now. The textile felt so exquisite that it must be of the highest quality. Arthur must have really thought carefully before buying this…_

_"This looks expensive. I can't wear this, Arthur." He said._

_"A proper gentleman must look like one." Replied Arthur, sounding firm about it. He crossed his arms against his chest to emphasize that he wasn't going to take no for an answer._

_"But there's nothing wrong with the way I look now!" he exclaimed, sounding a bit hurt. In comparison to what Arthur was wearing—a brown suit with silver buttons over a light pink dress shirt and a red necktie with a pair of shiny black shoes on his feet—with Alfred's black sleeveless undershirt, oil-stained cargo jeans with a brown jacket tied to his waist and military-issue black boots, he really didn't look gentlemanly at all._

_"I refuse to be seen with you if you don't wear that. Besides, they're no harm in trying it on." Said Arthur with a tone of finality._

_"Oh, alright already." Sighed Alfred in defeat._

_After putting it on, Arthur led him to his bedroom. Arthur tied Alfred's tie himself, lightly scolding him for not knowing how to do it himself before he was pushed to stand in front of a full-length mirror to admire his physique._

_It was quite fetching and complemented his blonde hair. He had to admit, he looked good in it but he only smiled a small smile when he turned to face Arthur._

_"It's nice and all but I don't think I'll wear it everyday—"_

_"You're a Kirkland and my younger brother." Arthur replied, crossing arms again and snorted, as if what Alfred said was a completely lame joke. 'Really, Alfred's being ridiculous', thought Arthur. 'But… if it's a question of money—'_

_"Pfft." Said Arthur suddenly, though it was a mere slip of the tongue. Money wasn't even an issue—to Arthur anyways._

_"Besides, I bought a lot of them so you'll have different ones to wear." Arthur said, pointing at the five other suits laid nearly on his large, four-poster bed._

_"A-Arthur, you didn't have to—" Alfred cut himself off when he saw the expression on Arthur's face. He looked happy as he glanced at the suits. Out of all his brothers, Arthur was the one who spoiled him so much that it was close to reckless buying. He wouldn't forget the last time Arthur had excessively spoiled him by attempting to buy him an entire fleet of fighter planes (even though he clearly wanted it)._

_"A gentleman must look like one but more importantly act like one. How will you swoon the ladies if you keep dressing up as if you're some poor bloke?" Began Arthur. "So no more of this chainsaw of yours and those god-awful 'cargo pants'. Not only does it scare Peter when you carry your chainsaw around but it terrifies guests too."_

_"Okay." Alfred grumbled._

_"It's '**Alright'**, Alfred." Said Arthur a bit sternly. "Really, where did you learn this '**yeah**' and '**okay**' from?"_

* * *

Alfred opened his eyes again and sighed. He placed the tuxedo back on the hook and sat back down on his seat. He looked at his screen and grinned widely. There was a reply from an email he sent a while back.

_Alfred,_

_I don't know what you're playing at, you bloody git, but since you clearly sound desperate enough to contact me, I will heed your request. Come by my private garden by the President's Tower to collect the flowers you need, sharply around 5 in the afternoon. Why are you suddenly keen on flower arranging anyways? Might I remind you of what you said a while back about it being a "girly thing", as you said it? But whatever._

_-**Arthur Kirkland **_

_P.S. If this is for a certain girl we clearly both know, I am not helping you arrange them. I will give them to you but you're on your own on how to arrange them._

Alfred chuckled and typed in a short thank you. Really, all it said was _thanks_. But he knew Arthur would understand. He'd throw a fit but he'll accept it nonetheless.

_Thanks… big brother_, he thought with a sad smile. _I guess what you told me wasn't useless after all._

* * *

…Meanwhile, somewhere in the school, Arthur's eye was twitching at the one word reply he received back from Alfred. His older brothers enjoyed watching him exclaiming stuff like "_that ungrateful brat_" and "_bloody git_".

"He was emailing Alfred, wasn't he?" asked Dylan. Allistor, who was glancing over Arthur's shoulder when he was typing nodded.

"I miss the guy." Said Jonathan. "But I bet Arthur misses him the most."

"I do not miss him!" exclaimed Arthur, blushing furiously, glaring at his brothers. The three red-heads laughed heartily. Dylan, who had been leaning against Arthur's desk, fell back on top of paperwork from laughing so much.

Arthur's shouts of indignations could be heard all the way to the European Sector's dormitory, earning many sweat-drops from those who heard him.

* * *

**Kiku's Case**

Kiku was in the outer garden, a large piece of land with evergreen grass and trees of every kind. He was leaning against a cherry blossom tree—something that Arthur had planted specifically as the mark of their friendship—that was just by his bedroom window. It was much better to sit out here than in his room, after all.

"Kiku?" a voice called from behind him. He turned around to see Yao Wang coming up to him.

"Ah, Yao-nii-san…" he said. "What brings you in this part of the sector?"

"Just walking around…" replied Yao. "You don't mind my joining you here, do you?"

"I don't really mind." Replied Kiku. Yao went over to his side and leaned on the tree as well, admiring at the beauty of the pink petals hanging above them like a blanket. A breeze rolled by, showering them with hundreds of pink petals.

"_Kirei…_" mumbled Yao. "That's how you say beautiful, right, Kiku?"

"Hai. _Honto ni kirei-desu_." Mumbled Kiku, closing is eyes and relaxing against the tree.

Yao chuckled slightly, not knowing what all that had meant but only half of it.

"Ne, Yao-nii-san… Do you have… someone you like?" Kiku asked suddenly.

"Yes but I don't think I'll go for her." Replied Yao after quite some time.

"Why?"

"For one thing, she's caught the eyes of too many people. I don't think I can take them on-aru." He said, closing his eyes. "Plus, I'm beginning to think that my liking towards her isn't how I would love a lover but more of a sister-aru."

"What makes you say that?"

"For one thing… I asked her friend if she has anyone in mind to go with to this dance called Prom but when she told me that she hasn't, I was relieved but more of a brother relieved to hear that his sister isn't going out with anyone." He explained.

"…I think I know who you are referring to, Yao-nii-san."

"It's obvious, isn't it-aru?" said Yao with a slight chuckle. "Ah, I just hope Maria will choose someone worthy of her-aru."

"…Do you think I have a chance?" Kiku mumbled, mostly to himself. Unfortunately for him, Yao had caught his words quite clearly.

"Of course, you do-aru." He replied with much enthusiasm. Yao leapt from his place and in front of Kiku, placing both hands on Kiku's shoulder. The sudden contact made Kiku quite uncomfortable.

"Yao-nii-san… you're invading my personal space."

Yao looked as if he hasn't heard him. Yao-nii-san practically looked like a girl as Kiku could practically see the sparkles and shoujo flowers radiating from him.

"I'll help you-aru!" he exclaimed.

"U-Um, I don't really—"

"This is so exciting! We should go to my town!"

"_Your_ town? But we're at—"

"Oh, I have a place in every location possible-aru!" Yao grabbed him by the arm and pulled him towards the garden exit. "Come, we should look at the cute things to gift Maria with!"

* * *

**NORMAL POV**

"…and that's the plan." Said Mei to Nyuyen, who was sitting across the table, looking stunned. They were currently on their free period in an empty classroom. Before Nyuyen could say anything, though, an announcement through the PA system was blaring in their ears.

"_Good afternoon students. Tomorrow, sharply around nine in the morning, seniors are reminded there is an assembly in the Grand Ballroom in the Antarctic Sector building. Also, a pleasant reminder to the Prom Committee's eight member, please pass the reports sharply around 5. That is all, thank you." _

"…You're kidding me, right?" said Nyuyen after a while. "Kaoru, do you even agree with this?"

Kaoru yawned, indicating that he was only half-listening but more into not-caring. Maria, who was always with them, wasn't present for she had duties at the school clinic.

"I'm not kidding. Maria needs to decide and maybe—just maybe—she might have her answer on Prom night."

"I am not allowing this."

"I don't need your approval." Said Mei. "You know, I've been ignoring it for as long as I can stand but… do you have other feelings for Maria other than a friend?"

"If you're thinking I love her like a lover, you're wrong." Replied Nyuyen, blushing slightly. "I just feel… very protective of her It's more of a sister protecting her little sister."

"Then you're the same league as that Juan Carriedo." Said Kaoru suddenly. "You have a weird sister complex, though you aren't even sisters in the first place."

"I treat her like a sister…"

"That still doesn't make you sisters."

"Just shut up, Kaoru!"

Mei just watched them as they bickered at each other, though Nyuyen was doing more of the shouting than Kaoru, who kept his voice monotonous and his face deadpan as usual.

Okay, first part of the plan is done—become Committee Chairman to have absolute control. Step two was to convince the President to have this gimmick she was carefully planning in her head on the night of the Prom.

"Will he even agree to it?" said Nyuyen to Mei. "I highly doubt that caterpillar-for-eyebrows is going to agree to something as crazy as that final phase for your plan."

"He will." She said with confidence. "I'll show him a side he will never refuse to."

* * *

**Maria's POV**

As soon as Maria had closed the door of the clinic's threshold, she sighed deeply and slid down to the floor, clutching her aching head. She now knew how Mr. President felt the night before.

She didn't want to stay there, though. She sighed again then stood up, walked down the hallway to the changing rooms. Once in her overalls, she was back in her element. She started going over each ward area, arranging the bedspreads, fluffing pillows and all that jazz. At one point, she was beginning to think she was the maid of a hotel…

As she worked, she thought. Actually, more on the lines of an epiphany. An epiphany that was held back from the moment she started the façade.

Maria knew from the very beginning that acting oblivious was going to do her no good. But she went on with it anyways. She had thought that if she did act oblivious, no one would get hurt. No man would approach her. They'd all be "turned off"—as Kuya Alfred would state it—that they won't advance on her anymore.

What happened instead was the exact opposite. Plus, she had the uncharacteristic urge to slap herself for going on this long.

Acting dense wasn't an option anymore. Acting denser than she's already pretending to be isn't either. At this point, facing the problem head-on was her only choice. She hated hurting people. Much more, she hated herself for leading them on for so long.

She sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed she had just made.

"What am I going to do…?" she said quietly, burying her face unto her hands. All those advances people have made her realize what a complete idiot she was. If only she had enough guts to directly reject them…

Curse her being _too considerate_.

"Having problems there, little lady?" said a voice. Maria lifted her head immediately to face whoever said that to find half-masked face so close to hers that she fell back on the bed in her surprise.

"Oh, sorry to startle you, Miss dela Cruz." Said the masked man with a smile. Maria quickly composed herself then looked questioningly at the man.

"How do you—"

"—Know your name? You're quite famous in all sectors, Miss Maria." He replied.

"U-Uh… do you need something, Mr…?"

"Sadik Adnan, Representative of the Republic of Turkey; _at your service_." He said with a dramatic bow. He suddenly thrusts a tulip to her face, startling her slightly.

"Ah… A tulip?" she said confusedly but taking the tulip nonetheless.

"Yes." He said. "Flowers can cheer anyone up. As much as I want to give you a bouquet, I can only spontaneously one tulip every 6 months*."

"U-Uh…"

"Now, why the long face? All that sighing is not good, you know." He said.

"Um… I don't think you can help me—"

"Oh please, I can help anyone. From funding a war to helping eradicate enemies from your land*, a simple problem of a teenage girl will be no problem at all~"

Maria looked incredulously at him. It didn't take a genius to know that this guy wasn't hitting on her at all. He was weird but hey, who isn't in this school?

After a few minutes of hesitation, she decided to just pour her heart out. She talked for almost an hour that when she finally stopped, she was slightly breathless. Sadik Adnan proved to be a very good listener. After hearing her out, it took him a while to formulate words to reply with. Her case was so easy.

"Just pick whoever you think is the right one for you." He said finally. The reaction to this was not what he was expecting.

"…I want to but I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings." _Thank you, Captain Obvious but that really doesn't go with my morals_, she thought bitterly.

"Dear, you're going to hurt them even more leading them on like this. Here's my other advice; Don't agree to go with anyone. Go alone this Prom night."

"B-But, I have to go with a pair." Said Maria. "The thing is, I don't know who—"

"Trust me. Go alone. A little '_birdy_' told me that it'll be alright. By the time Prom comes along, you'll know your answer."

"But—"

"Use this time to figure out your feelings." He said. "You like them all, don't you? You may view them as simple friendships but there is that certain someone whom you feel more than just a simple friendship to."

"But, what about the others?"

"If these men really love you as they claim, they'll understand. They'll be happy for you instead of feeling bitter towards you about it. A real man will know how to let you go."

Maria sat there, stunned at what he was saying. When she finally regained composure, she couldn't speak but merely nod.

"Hn, I guess I should consider being a councilor." He suddenly mumbled. "Well, I'm off. You should head to class too.

He turned a heel and headed for the door but just as he was about to go through the door, Maria spoke…

"…Why are you helping me?" asked Maria in a quiet voice. "I mean, you hardly know me as I hardly know you."

"Because I can." He said over his shoulder. She saw the smile on his face. "With or without Merits, it's a nice feeling to help someone in need. And, oh, I almost forgot to tell you something."

"What?"

"Call me Ottoman* the next time we meet." The next time Maria blinked, he was gone but a tulip lay on the floor.

* * *

A/N: Ugh, finally, that's over with!

**Sadik Adnan** is my lackey. (_coughjannahsmcfluffycough_) For some reason... Well, I find him the guy who will help anyone. I know I'm off my rocker for doing it to him but I was basically running out of ideas. Sorry about that... /shot.

Okay, so here are some of the terminologies to divulge:

1. Ottoman (Empire) – No, not the kind of seat (or so I've been told that an Ottoman is a kind of seat) but Turkey, around the time when the **Kingdom of Spain** had conquered the **Low Countries** (_Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg_), Netherlands took a stand to drive away the Spanish Army from their Capital with the help of the Turkish Army or how rather as they were called, "The Ottoman Empire". This is where I get the reference for "_driving out the enemies from your land_". The results was not what they wanted, however. **The Spanish Fury** was dealt with by the people of Belgium. For further information, refer to Wikipedia or the fan-made doujinshi named "Maaf" by deviantart artist, **dinosaurusgede**. (I personally prefer the doujinshi over Wikipedia~)

2. The "_spontaneously sprouting a tulip every six months_" is also a reference to "Maaf" by**dinosaurusgede. **But I hear that's how long it takes for a Tulip to grow.

Now, after 15 hours of typing, I will now collapse somewhere within the lines of "_bedroom_" and "_on top of my cat_".


End file.
